More than 2,000 Venezuelans die every year due to HIV

The Stop HIV organization estimates that 19,000 children have been orphaned by this disease

TODAY VENEZUELA NEWS – The latest official statistics about HIV and AIDS in Venezuela disclosed by the Ministry of Health show how wide this disease has spread across the country.

HIV data from 2015 shows that 63,328 people infected with HIV were receiving antiretroviral treatment (47,969 men and 15,359 women), with an alarming figure of 1,145 patients under 15 years old.

“This shows that prevention policies undertaken by the State are failing,” states an analysis made by the organization Stop HIV aimed at monitoring the HIV epidemic and raising awareness about its prevention.

The president of the organization, Jhonatan Rodríguez, commented that at least 10,620 people over 15 years initiate antiretroviral treatment every year in Venezuela, which means that the spread of the HIV epidemic is growing.

Rodríguez commented that there should not be inaccuracies around HIV numbers, as clear statistics of the epidemics, besides qualitative work, are required to plan effective strategies to fight the disease. If the causes and characteristics of any disease suffered by population are unknown, it is very difficult to establish patterns to reduce its impact.

Other trustworthy sources have disclosed worrisome data about HIV in Venezuela. Estimates show that there could be as many as 300,000 HIV-positive patients in Venezuela, including 220,000 adults (90,000 women over 15 years old; 130,000 men over 15 years) and 2,300 children aged 0-14 years.

The conclusion is that HIV and AIDS constitute a widespread epidemic in Venezuela, with at least 2,100 people dying each year from HIV-related causes, and more than 19,000 minors left orphans.

Although Rodríguez acknowledges that antiretroviral treatments are provided for free in Venezuela, he alerted that about 5% of HIV patients withdraw their treatment, probably due to inconsistent supply of medicines.